“We stayed here over the May half-term holiday as a group of 7 adults and 9 children (aged 2–14).”
First and foremost, this is a beautiful property. The design and decoration have clearly been very carefully curated, and the house has a wonderful character. The space worked brilliantly for our large family gathering, with plenty of room for everyone to relax and spend time together.
Unfortunately, there were several issues that significantly impacted our stay.
The biggest problem by far was the woodlice. Every evening, from around 11pm onwards, they seemed to emerge from every crevice and ...
First and foremost, this is a beautiful property. The design and decoration have clearly been very carefully curated, and the house has a wonderful character. The space worked brilliantly for our large family gathering, with plenty of room for everyone to relax and spend time together.
Unfortunately, there were several issues that significantly impacted our stay.
The biggest problem by far was the woodlice. Every evening, from around 11pm onwards, they seemed to emerge from every crevice and crawl across floors, walls and furniture. We appreciate that this is an old building with lots of exposed timber, but the scale of the problem was honestly quite unpleasant. We found ourselves wearing shoes or sliders indoors at night to avoid stepping on them. A couple of guests even found woodlice in their beds, and some were surprisingly large. Seeing them reproducing indoors was particularly off-putting.
The kitchen facilities were generally good, but the freezer space was completely inadequate for a property that accommodates large groups. There is only one small freezer compartment in each fridge-freezer, which was nowhere near enough for 16 people during a warm week. Between ice lollies, freezer packs and frozen food, we simply couldn’t fit everything in.
There were also numerous items around the property that were damaged, worn out or in need of repair. These included the croquet set, bat and ball equipment, a rocking chair, wardrobe door, dining table, outdoor table, lamp and several cupboard doors. None of these issues individually ruined our stay, but collectively they gave the impression that maintenance has fallen behind. It would benefit from a thorough inventory and maintenance period rather than continuous back-to-back bookings.
One of the showers (the bathroom closest to the kitchen and second fridge-freezer) floods during use and requires attention.
I stayed in one of the twin rooms, “The Pigsty”, which has a skylight directly above the beds. Unfortunately, the blind does not fully cover it, allowing a strip of early morning sunlight to shine directly onto the beds. An eye mask solved the problem for me, but guests should be aware.
One of the leather sofas has become quite uncomfortable, with the springs now clearly noticeable through the seat cushions.
For a property aimed at larger groups and families, it was surprising that there was no outdoor washing line or practical clothes airer. The Victorian drying rack is attractive and in keeping with the house, but it wasn’t sufficient for a group of 16 people, especially during such fantastic weather when outdoor drying would have been easy.
To the owner’s credit, when we reported the wardrobe door and rocking chair on our first day, they came promptly to fix them. However, it appeared that the rocking chair had already been repaired multiple times with glue, and the fix only lasted a day before breaking again. This reinforced the feeling that some items need proper replacement or repair rather than temporary fixes.
One final point concerns the check-out experience. The advertised check-out time was 10am, but from around 9:30am onwards we felt considerable pressure to leave. The owner arrived to begin draining the hot tub and entered the house to collect the hoover while we were still packing and preparing to depart. Shortly afterwards, gates were being opened, staff were moving around the grounds, and the cleaners arrived, drove in and parked up waiting for us to leave. While we completely understand the need to prepare the property for incoming guests, the activity before the stated check-out time made us feel rushed and somewhat harassed out of the property. As a result, we didn’t have the opportunity to do a proper final sweep of the house and unfortunately left an item behind.
Overall, this is a stunning property in a great setting, and we made some wonderful family memories here. However, given the premium nature of the accommodation and price, the maintenance issues and particularly the woodlice problem prevented it from fully living up to its potential.
Naturally, as owners and managers we were extremely disappointed to receive our first negative criticisms and our response is carefully considered. Firstly, we thank you for your positive view of the size, layout and curated furnishings unique to the property which deliberately reflect the agricultural and social history of the house. Ultra-modern hi-end fixtures exist alongside vintage and antique furnishings we are often told is the essence and charm of the interior.
In response to your specific comments;
With regard to freezer space;
this has not previously been identified and provision has been carefully considered in relation to our most typical party profile. A squeeze on capacity appears to have happened with multiple young families combining and expectation has been misjudged without fear of compromise or clarification. What a pity we were not made aware of your difficulties during your stay as we could have offered you the use of a commercial freezer only 10 metres away normally reserved for our catering functions. Similarly, we have a commercial laundry on site, but we have found the indoor drying facilities in the house have been adequately reviewed.
With regard to the rocking chair;
Again, this is a vintage piece from the kitchen and madly popular with nursing mothers. As such we find it in other parts of the house. It is particularly heavy and often dragged by the arms and yes, the arm has come loose several times and each time it is repaired, as you correctly observed. Our choice is either to repair often or remove. It is now removed to avoid a repeat experience.
The croquet set;
One of the many outdoor games we supply in the toybox and often added to with games left by guests after their visit, some not so high quality, even cheap and cheerful. As long as they are safe and clean, they stay for someone else to enjoy. I could not see anything wrong with the croquet set despite it, and other games sets, being left outside all week and in the rain as they were on this occasion.
The shower in the Motor House en-suite;
We did design this as a wet area and the shower tray is low profile and rimless. The shower head can be rotated to a less angled position and the strong water pressure adjusted.
The sofa:
I am truly sorry you found this uncomfortable. I have today swapped this with my own identical sofa.
The exterior cover to the skylight in the Pigsty;
I have adjusted this and will continue to monitor.
The woodlice;
We have had precautionary remedies applied and no further reports.
Check-out time:
10.00 a.m. is specified from the point of booking, in all pre-arrival information and in house notices as is the need to empty the jacuzzi at 9.30am to ensure a clean, full and up-to-temperature facility for the next guests. It has always been favourably acceped by guests as being a benefit passed on to them by previous occupants. Draining the Jacuzzi normally requires only for the lid to be lifted and the outflow engaged and left without an attendant remaining. On this occasion, an unattended child was near the hot tub and the decision was made to speed up the servicing and emptying with the attendant remaining. This required the use of the wet suction vac in the house and a guest amiably agreed its access. It is not unreasonable for staff to park and begin preparations outside the house a few minutes earlier for a punctual start at 10.00am. Late departures must accept cleaning will begin promptly. Sometimes stuff happens and departures are delayed, as it was on this occasion. Normally, good humour wins the day and our helpful staff will often assist with looking for lost items and carry luggage to cars. I am truly sorry your recollection of your holiday held some issues you did not share with us as they arose as they could have been simply rectified having assured you on arrival that we offer full 24hr on-site support. As owners we do apply ourselves 7 days a week 365 days a year to the comfort and needs of our guests and foremost to the attention of Sykes Lodge which we consider a privilege to own and share with our guests.
Property Owner
